Recipe - Chicken With Mandarines And Pomegranate

Stephen Ceideburg
2 Mandarines
1 Chicken
Sprigs thyme
3 Mandarines, juice only
Pomegranate, juice only
1 Pomegranate, quartered,
seeds reserved
1 tablespoon Butter, softened
1 tablespoon Flour

This very seasonal dish both mandarines and pomegranates are well into
their seasons now is simple but unusual.

Segment 2 mandarines, being careful to remove as much pith as possible, and
if possible remove the seeds.

Remove the fatty pads from the cavity of a chicken and put the chicken in
an ovenproof dish, preferably a glass chicken roaster to maximise final
moistness. Surround the chicken with the mandarine segments and a few
sprigs of thyme. Halve and juice 3 more mandarines and pour the juice over
the chicken. Juice half a pomegranate and add. Season. Roast in a 190 C
oven for about an hour or until the juices run clear when the thickest part
of the thigh is pierced with a skewer. If not using a glass roaster with a
lid, baste at intervals during cooking.

Meanwhile cut another pomegranate into quarters and twist each wedge to
help free the seeds. Coax them out and reserve. Work together a tablespoon
of softened butter and a tablespoon of plain flour (to make a buerre
manie).

When the chicken is cooked, remove it and the mandarine segments to a
serving dish and keep warm.

Skim the sauce if necessary, then simmer it and add the beurre manie in
small pieces, whisking all the time until it is sufficiently thickened.
Taste the sauce for seasoning and pour over the chicken and mandarines.
Scatter the pomegranate seeds over the mandarine segments and serve.

Posted by Stephen Ceideburg

From an article by Meryl Constance in The Sydney Morning Herald, 5/11/93.
Courtesy Mark Herron.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini